Cleveland area lost 80% of residents; 200 new homes now planned with $182 million funding potential

Parts of the East Side look rural, with the loss of population creating what it called an “urban prairie” A Cleveland district that once had nearly 100,000 residents in the 1960s now has fewer than 20,000, leaving large areas with open green space that can resemble the countryside. The city is now trying to reverse that decline through a new Housing Innovation District and plans to support the construction of 200 new homes.The effort received a boost after Ohio announced $14 million in grants for workforce housing across 10 counties, local media NEOtrans reported. Cleveland is set to receive $2 million, which will support the creation of the 200 housing units on the city’s near-East Side.The Housing Innovation District covers significant parts of the Central, Hough and St Clair-Superior neighbourhoods. The area has seen major population loss over the decades, leaving vacant land and large stretches of greenery between existing buildings.The new housing investment is linked to wider plans to bring jobs, infrastructure and development to the near-East Side. Cleveland City Council authorised the Housing Innovation District in August and approved a tax increment financing, or TIF, mech...